Categories: Hybrid / Green

Tesla was the first real automaker to show the world that vehicles can be electric, sexy, and fast all at the same time. Unfortunately, the car that proved that is close to retirement. The Model S, which will replace the Roadster as Tesla's only car, has two of those qualities—sexiness and electric powertrain—but lacks the speed and performance of the outgoing Roadster. But Tesla will fix that problem by offering a higher performance sport version of the sedan.

Russian auto company Dartz seems to be in business for no other reason than to make a scene. Sometimes it's kind of good, like when they launch a futuristic, 2000-hp armored car, and sometimes it’s bad, like when the company suffers big fallout over the use of unnecessary materials like whale penis leather. Either way, Dartz just keeps making us scratch our heads in bewilderment.

In teasing its next debut, Dartz has us scratching our heads once again.

Now that Hyundai has pulled a successful 180 on its image, it can barely build its cars fast enough. When you experience great success, you have a little extra time and money to invest in the finer things in life (though Hyundai might want to think about beefing up its production capacity instead). And sometimes the finer things in life are quirky, fun projects.

Hyundai's China team recently hit the street with a life-sized Hyundai Azera that traded an engine for a pedal-powered drivetrain. Talk all you want about the 40 mpg, this baby is as clean as it gets.

At least year's Paris Motor Show, Lotus came out, guns blazing, with a slew of sports car concepts designed to reinvent the brand. When the smoke from those booming gunshots finally cleared, there was one more car to be seen: the City Car concept, a tiny subcompact based on the Emas concept from parent company Proton.

Lotus is working on production of many of those concepts, including the City Car, which will be called the Ethos. Despite dour sales for competitors like the smart fortwo, Lotus will bring the Ethos to the US market in a couple years.

Gordon Murray Design and Toray Industries have introduced a sporty, electric roadster prototype that gives the Tesla Roadster a run for its money as the hottest electric two-seater around. Of course, the prototype falls rather short when it comes to performance.

Toray Industries, a manufacturer of textiles and composites, commissioned Gordon Murray Design to build a working prototype of the EV highlighting its automotive materials. As such, the car is injected with all kinds of carbon fiber, including a carbon tub, carbon components system, and a carbon front crash structure. The car weighs in at around 1,875 lbs—some 880 lbs. lighter than the Tesla Roadster.

At first glance, it seems as though the littlest Scion is obviously targeting the other intellect-based automobile out there—the Smart Car. They have similar attributes, similar stances, and offer much the same in the way of cargo room and performance. But it is actually those latter characteristics that make us ask a single question upon hearing the name iQ: "Oh, really?"

It may have lost a little of its luster to newer, greener cars like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt, but the Toyota Prius is still one of the most efficient, practical packages on the market. In fact, if you factor in its 2011 starting price of $23,520 (versus the Volt's $39K), it's hard to argue that the 50-mpg Prius isn't the best all-around green vehicle on the market. And according to Toyota, it's also the best-selling hybrid in the U.S. and the world.

Toyota introduced the 2012 Prius earlier this week, and the latest version of the hybrid gets some minor upgrades that makes it just a little better.

The Toyota Camry has been the quintessential benchmark for mid-sized sedans almost as long as it has been in existence. In fact, it has been the best-selling car in America for 12 out of the last 13 years—and that's for all cars, not just sedans. People like the Camry, obviously, and the folks over at Toyota know it. So, rather than screw around and redo the whole car and mess with success, Toyota has opted to slightly improve the Camry in each of its model cycles. For 2012, the Camry upped the ante against its competitors by changing just enough to put it back on top as king of the hill in terms of mpg numbers and all-around usability.

After a few teasers, Rimac has officially presented its Concept One at the Frankfurt Motor Show. We're not holding our breath for a production version of this 1,000-HP, 200-MPH electric supercar, but we must say: Rimac knows how to make a fine-looking automobile.

To state the painfully obvious: auto shows from here on out are bound to be characterized by—if not completely dominated by—hybrids, electrics, and other green concepts. At this year's Frankfurt Motor Show we've seen everything from tiny electric cars that could practically ride on the sidewalk to full-blown electrically powered supercars. And we've also started hearing rumors about the next-generation of auto-show-debuted green vehicles. First the Infiniti range-extending sports car. And now the Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid.

For most companies, the Frankfurt Motor Show is where the teasing stopped and the full revealing began. But for Infiniti, the Frankfurt Motor Show was the place for teasing its next exciting release. Nissan's luxury arm said that it will be revealing a range-extending hybrid sports car at the Geneva Motor Show next year.

As is fashionable, Infiniti is calling its car an electric sports car, but reports indicate it will have a small gasoline engine serving as a range-extending generator—that would be a series hybrid.